He further said the measures, signed by Donald Trump, demonstrated the complete impotence of the US president, whom he said had been humiliated by Congress.

The law aims to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US elections and its actions in Ukraine. Mr Trump accused Congress of overreach on the legislation.

The legislation also imposes sanctions on Iran and North Korea. In signing the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act on Wednesday, he attached a statement calling the measure “deeply flawed”.

Iran said the new sanctions violated the nuclear deal and it would respond in an “appropriate and proportional” manner, reports the semi-official Isna news agency.